Library will be Illuminated at Concert Featuring EhShawnee, DJ TrackStar, PVD Drum Troupe
PROVIDENCE, RI — Community Libraries of Providence (CLPVD) is excited to announce a free outdoor concert for the public, on the lawn at Knight Memorial Library, on Saturday, May 11 from 5:30P.M – 8:00P.M. This special outdoor event, which marks the one hundredth anniversary of the opening of the iconic Knight Memorial Library, will feature award-winning Dominican-American salsa star EhShawnee, music from DJ Trackstar and a performance from the Providence Drum Troupe. There will also be a bounce house for children and food trucks. The Centennial Celebration will conclude with the spectacular illumination of the facade of the Knight Memorial building, which will continue to be lit up after dark during the centennial year and beyond. Light Up the Knight has been made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of Knight Memorial Library, with additional support from Community Libraries of Providence and Councilman Juan Pichardo.
Knight Memorial Library, situated at 275 Elmwood Avenue, opened on May 14, 1924. It was built to house the Elmwood Public Library Association in honor of the industrialist Robert Knight and family and was designed by the famed New York Architect, Edward L.Tilton. The grand interior design is based on the space of a Roman atrium and features a colonnade, casts of the Parthenon frieze, coffered ceilings, wrought-iron work, stained glass and rich wood paneling.
Knight Memorial has served as a center of the Elmwood community and as a place of learning continuously for the last 100 years. It was an independent library until 1962, when Knight Memorial began to be managed by Providence Public Library (PPL), eventually merging with PPL in 1995. Since 2009, it has been one of the nine libraries of the Community Libraries of Providence.
The Centennial Celebration launches a year of special events and programs that will put a spotlight on this remarkable architectural treasure, as well as the vibrant community it serves.